How Does Portia Use Anaphora In Julius Caesar

In the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Portia uses rhetorical questions, antithesis, and anaphora in order to persuade Brutus to confide in her. Firstly, the usage of rhetorical questions emphasizes the fact that Portia knows Brutus is lying to her. While she is confronting him in the garden, she asks “What, is Brutus sick, / And will he steal out of his wholesome bed / To dare the vile contagion of the night / And tempt the rheumy and unpurged air / To add unto his sickness?” (II.i.283-287). Portia questions Brutus already aware of the fact that he is not sick and he is hiding something from her. She knows that a person who is actually sick would not be walking around outside during the middle of the night, risking becoming more sick.

Another way Portia attempts to convince Brutus to reveal his secret is through antithesis. Portia becomes blunt after realizing that Brutus will not be easily persuaded and states, “If it be no more / Portia is Brutus’ harlot, not his wife” (II.i.309-310). By using antithesis to contrast these opposing ideas of a prostitute and a wife, it accentuates the difference in connotation between the two terms. A wife is someone who shares all aspects of their life with someone and is often referred to as someone’s “other half”; however, the connotation of harlot suggests that she is there only for Brutus’ sexual desires, to be bossed around, and kept hidden in the background. By calling herself his harlot, Portia suggests that she feels neglected by Brutus and she feels as if she is strictly there for his sexual desires. This causes her to not feel like an equal partner, the way a marriage should. Lastly, Portia uses anaphora in her argument as a method of recognizing her identity as a woman while also pointing out Brutus’ decision to marry her and share their lives